This week in Math, we learned about the LCD. What is that? The LCD is the Lowest Common Denominator. Here’s an example. If we have 2 and 7, first we count by 2s: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, and 22. Now, we count by 7s: 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49, 56, 63, 70, and 77. What number do they have in common, that’s the smallest? 14! So, the LCD is 14 for 2 and 7. This week we also started to add with unlike denominators. How do you do that? It’s so easy! Let me show you how to do it. Let’s say we have 2/7 + 3/4. We have to find the LCD for 7 and 4. It’s 28. Okay, here comes the tricky part. In 2/7, how do you get the 7 to 28? You times it by 4. So, whatever you do on the bottom, you have to do it on the top. Two times 4 equals 8, and 7 times 4 equals 28. So you get the equivalent fraction 8/28. Now, in 3/4, how do you get the 4 to 28? You times it by 7! So you have to times the top by 7 and you get the equivalent fraction 21/28. Now we add 8/28 + 21/28 and it equals 29/28. Oh, no! It’s an improper fraction! Let’s change it to a mixed number! How many times does 28 go into 29? Once. Our whole number is 1. How many are left over? One. That becomes our numerator. So, our answer is 1 1/28! We also did subtracting with unlike denominators. It is exactly like adding, except you subtract. Also, we did adding with mixed numbers with unlike denominators. That’s exactly like adding with unlike denominators, except you have a whole number!
This week in Language Arts, we reviewed verbs. A verb is an action word. Here’s an example: The boy watched his shadow as he leaped into the air. We also worked on finishing a conclusion. We read a story that had no ending! So, Mrs. Tomlin said to write our own conclusion, and we did! This week we also worked on our mystery planner! That’s right! We, Mrs. Tomlin’s Class, are going to write mysteries! This is how our planner went. Where does the story take place? What’s the problem? Who are the suspects? Who is/are the detectives? What are the clues that lead to the suspects? Plan your story from beginning to end. This week we also worked on idioms. Idioms are like when we say, “It’s raining cats and dogs.” They are a figure of speech that mean something else.
This week in Science, we learned about cells. Cells are the building blocks of all living things such as plants, animals, and people. We learned about animal cells too. Did you know that animal cells are not the same as plant ones? Well, the only reason plants can’t move is because plant cells have cell walls. That’s why animals and people can move. We don’t have cell walls. Another reason plant cells and animal cells are different is because plant cells have chloroplast which contains chlorophyll. The parts of an animal cell are the cell membrane, the nucleus, the mitochondrion, the vacuoles, and the cytoplasm. We are working on a cell diagram. We have to create a cell with all of its parts and write down what the part is and what it does. Then we are going to go to a website and put pop-up bubbles that name that part and what it does.
This week in Social Studies, we took the chapter 7 Assessment. It was so easy. All of us did well at it. We also did chapter 6 and 7 matching. It was easy too.
This week we had a Student of the Month Assembly. The Student of the Month was Tom. Friday was Dr, Seuss’ birthday. We had Carnival Olympics and Roy, Sophia, Erik, Ben and Mrs. Tomlin got called down to do game.
As you can tell, this week was as crazy as the Lora!
By Alicia and Shawn
February 20-24, 2012
This week was adderific!
In Language Arts we did a compare/contrast ditto. We read two stories and we answered questions about them. We also did a transfer ditto. That’s part of Making Words. Mrs. Tomlin gave us five transfer words and we had to spell them. After we did that, we put the transfer words in sentences. Then, on Thursday, we went to StudyIsland and did the test on Compare/Contrast. In addition, we are reading a mystery book and making a poster for it. We are taking a HUGE piece of white construction paper and splitting it into 9 pieces (with a pencil) and doing a book report on it. It’s fun!
In Math, we added and subtracted fractions. It’s easier than you think! Say if I have the fractions 2/5 and 4/5. Let’s add 2/5 + 4/5 = 6/5. You just add the numberators. But wait, do you see something wrong with the answer? Look close…. IT’S AN IMPROPER FRACTION! Now turn 6/5 to ….1 1/5. How did I do that? Easy! I divided 6 by 5 which is 1 (that’s goning to be the whole number). The remainder is one so that becomes your new numerator. So the new answer is 1 1/5. Want to subtract? Say I have 4/7 – 1/7. You subtract the 3 from the 4 and get 1. You keep the same denominator, so the answer is 1/7. We don’t have to reduce. We even added and subtracted mixed numbers (but not in the same day though, that would be too much). Ok, I have 2 3/10 + 5 7/10. You add the whole numbers (2 and 5) and get 7. Then you add the numerators 3 + 7 which is 10 and put that over the denominator of 10, so you have 10/10 which is equal to 1. You add the 1 to the 7 and the answer is 8. Now, on to subtracting. If you have 5 4/10 – 4 3/10, you subtract the four from the five and get one for your whole number. Then you subtract 3 from the 4 and you get 1 again! You keep the same denominator (10), so the answer is 1 1/10.
This week in Social Studies, we finished the colonies, even the Southern Colonies which I couldn’t wait to get to. Maryland was started by Cecilius Calvert, or Lord Baltimore, in 1634. The reason he founded it was for the Catholics to be safe because he was a Catholic and Catholics were treated harshly because of their beliefs. The land there was very good for planting tobacco. Because of their hot, steamy summers, the tobacco grew very well. The way they got their water though was from an irrigation route from the CheasapeakeBay. They also grew corn, wheat, and fruit, which also got water from the irrigation route. The farmers there had cattle for meat and milk. The water the animals got was from a pump valve in the back. The bad thing about Maryland is the mosquitoes which carry deadly diseases like malaria. The other jobs they had were lumbering, shipping, fishing, and ranching.
We also learned about Georgia. Georgia was started for 2 reasons. The first was because the British governemnt wanted to stop the Spanish troops from moving north, and the second was because some wealthy British wanted to help the poor people avoid going to debtor’s prison. (A debtor is a person who owes money to somebody). In 1732, if you could not pay your bills, you went to jail. But sometimes instead of going to jail, they went to Georgia for a fresh start. The soil was fertile and the winters were mild. The summers were hot, humid, and long. The climate was good for growing indigo, rice, cotton, and tobacco. The jobs they had were lumbering, farming, and trading goods.
In South Carolina, the jobs were fur trading, shipping, farming, exporting, and slave trading. The summers are hot and humid, and the winters are mild. Also, did you know, in Bath, South Carolina, Edward Teach or Blackbeard lived?
This week was a blast from the past!
By Cassidy and Erik
February 13- 17, 2012
This week was lovely! Do you know why it was lovely? Because Tuesday was Valentine’s Day!
On Tuesday we had a Valentine’s Day party! It was really awesome because we got to spend it with the best teacher in the world, Mrs. Tomlin! During the party, we got to watch a really good movie, “The Smurfs”. Mrs. Tomlin went and got us a six foot sub from Subway. It was delicious! We also had chips, cookies, and carrots. Then we got to pass out our Valentines to everyone in our class. We also got to eat our Valentine’s candy during the movie.
In Language Arts we continued reading our mystery books. When we are done with our mystery books we are going to get a big white piece of paper and make nine puzzle pieces and then put a title for each box since a mystery is like a puzzle because of the clues, problem, characters, and all of the other stuff that puts it together. Then on Tuesday, because it was Valentine’s Day, we did Valentine’s stuff. We got a box of candy conversation hearts and wrote a Valentine’s story trying to use as many of the little sayings in it as possible, like Be Mine, I love you, Crazy 4 You, and Rock You. All of our stories turned out magnificent. Also, this week, we got a sheet and we read two stories and then compared and contrasted them on things like setting, genre, conflict, solution, and other things.
In Math, we reviewed everything to do with fractions. We found the GCF (Greatest Common Factor). To do this you must know your facts or it is very complicated. If you know your facts, it can be very easy. Example: Find the GCF of 8 and 12. Write out the factors of both. The factors of 8 are 1, 2, 4, and 8. The factors of 12 are 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 12. You see all the same numbers—1, 2, 4, right? But what is the highest? Four! So that is the GCF. Secondly, we did simplifying fraction. (Hint: You must know your multiplication and division facts!) Example: 9/24. Find the GCF again. It is 3. Now divide 9 and 24 by 3 and you get 3/8. Can you reduce again? NO, because 3 and 8 don’t have any common factors. So it is in lowest terms. To compare fractions you have to cross multiply which means you take the denominator and multiply by the numerator of the other fraction. But there is an exception, if the denominator is the same or if the numerator is the same. If the denominator is the same, look for the higher numerator. If the numerator is the same, look for the lowest denominator. Example: with the same numerator between 6/14 and 6/21, 6/14 is the greatest. And with the same denominator between 18/21 and 16/21, 12/21 is the greatest. Now we are turning fractions into decimals. To do this, you must divide the numerator by the denominator. If you can’t do it exactly the first time, then drop a zero down. Do this at least 4 times. If you get a number like .6666, then take the third number and round it.
This week in Social Studies we compared the different original colonies. The New England colonies are as follows: New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. The Middle Colonies are New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. The Southern Colonies are Maryland, Virginia, North and South Carolina, and Georgia. We learned about the government, geography, economy, and the reason for founding. The New England colonies we founded by Puritans and they left England because they wanted the English or Anglican churches to change. New York and Pennsylvania were different. In New York, the King chose the leader or governor. In Pennsylvania, they didn’t have one religion and the King only choose who governed, but not the laws like New York. We have yet to learn about the Southern Colonies.
This week was a journey back to the past!
By Erik, Sophia and Madisyn
February 6-10, 2012
Ask your child why there isn't a Weekly Wiki this week.
January 30-February 3, 2012
This week went by hastily!
In Math, we worked with turning improper fractions into mixed numbers. Like turning 16/8 to 2, but that's a whole number, not a mixed number. Here is an example of making a mixed number. Take 20/6. Divide 20 by 8. Six goes into 20 three times. Three becomes your whole number. Then there is a remainder of 2. That becomes the numerator. You keep the same denominator. So the mixed number is 3 2/6. Then we did equivalent fractions, like 1/2 = 2/4. Also, we put fractions on a number line.
In Science this week we continued on our Force and Motion projects. It is super duper fun!
In Social Studeis we talked about the lost colony at Roanoke Island. All they left behind was the word "croatoan". It was carved into the gate post of Roanoke. We had to write a newspaper article about it the next day. It was so easy. We also read about Jamestown. It's the story of Pocohantas and John Smith and his crew.
This week in Language Arts we read a Nate the Great book together and learned how to solve the mystery. Then we started reading mystery books of our own and answering questions we have on a sheet. We also went on this really cool website and created an avatar of a mystery suspect. We wrote a description of them and turned it into a Wanted poster. We also recorded our mystery readers theater.
This week was like winning the biggest game.
This week in Math, we learned about the LCD. What is that? The LCD is the Lowest Common Denominator. Here’s an example. If we have 2 and 7, first we count by 2s: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, and 22. Now, we count by 7s: 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49, 56, 63, 70, and 77. What number do they have in common, that’s the smallest? 14! So, the LCD is 14 for 2 and 7. This week we also started to add with unlike denominators. How do you do that? It’s so easy! Let me show you how to do it. Let’s say we have 2/7 + 3/4. We have to find the LCD for 7 and 4. It’s 28. Okay, here comes the tricky part. In 2/7, how do you get the 7 to 28? You times it by 4. So, whatever you do on the bottom, you have to do it on the top. Two times 4 equals 8, and 7 times 4 equals 28. So you get the equivalent fraction 8/28. Now, in 3/4, how do you get the 4 to 28? You times it by 7! So you have to times the top by 7 and you get the equivalent fraction 21/28. Now we add 8/28 + 21/28 and it equals 29/28. Oh, no! It’s an improper fraction! Let’s change it to a mixed number! How many times does 28 go into 29? Once. Our whole number is 1. How many are left over? One. That becomes our numerator. So, our answer is 1 1/28! We also did subtracting with unlike denominators. It is exactly like adding, except you subtract. Also, we did adding with mixed numbers with unlike denominators. That’s exactly like adding with unlike denominators, except you have a whole number!
This week in Language Arts, we reviewed verbs. A verb is an action word. Here’s an example: The boy watched his shadow as he leaped into the air. We also worked on finishing a conclusion. We read a story that had no ending! So, Mrs. Tomlin said to write our own conclusion, and we did! This week we also worked on our mystery planner! That’s right! We, Mrs. Tomlin’s Class, are going to write mysteries! This is how our planner went. Where does the story take place? What’s the problem? Who are the suspects? Who is/are the detectives? What are the clues that lead to the suspects? Plan your story from beginning to end. This week we also worked on idioms. Idioms are like when we say, “It’s raining cats and dogs.” They are a figure of speech that mean something else.
This week in Science, we learned about cells. Cells are the building blocks of all living things such as plants, animals, and people. We learned about animal cells too. Did you know that animal cells are not the same as plant ones? Well, the only reason plants can’t move is because plant cells have cell walls. That’s why animals and people can move. We don’t have cell walls. Another reason plant cells and animal cells are different is because plant cells have chloroplast which contains chlorophyll. The parts of an animal cell are the cell membrane, the nucleus, the mitochondrion, the vacuoles, and the cytoplasm. We are working on a cell diagram. We have to create a cell with all of its parts and write down what the part is and what it does. Then we are going to go to a website and put pop-up bubbles that name that part and what it does.
This week in Social Studies, we took the chapter 7 Assessment. It was so easy. All of us did well at it. We also did chapter 6 and 7 matching. It was easy too.
This week we had a Student of the Month Assembly. The Student of the Month was Tom. Friday was Dr, Seuss’ birthday. We had Carnival Olympics and Roy, Sophia, Erik, Ben and Mrs. Tomlin got called down to do game.
As you can tell, this week was as crazy as the Lora!
By Alicia and Shawn
February 20-24, 2012
This week was adderific!
In Language Arts we did a compare/contrast ditto. We read two stories and we answered questions about them. We also did a transfer ditto. That’s part of Making Words. Mrs. Tomlin gave us five transfer words and we had to spell them. After we did that, we put the transfer words in sentences. Then, on Thursday, we went to StudyIsland and did the test on Compare/Contrast. In addition, we are reading a mystery book and making a poster for it. We are taking a HUGE piece of white construction paper and splitting it into 9 pieces (with a pencil) and doing a book report on it. It’s fun!
In Math, we added and subtracted fractions. It’s easier than you think! Say if I have the fractions 2/5 and 4/5. Let’s add 2/5 + 4/5 = 6/5. You just add the numberators. But wait, do you see something wrong with the answer? Look close…. IT’S AN IMPROPER FRACTION! Now turn 6/5 to ….1 1/5. How did I do that? Easy! I divided 6 by 5 which is 1 (that’s goning to be the whole number). The remainder is one so that becomes your new numerator. So the new answer is 1 1/5. Want to subtract? Say I have 4/7 – 1/7. You subtract the 3 from the 4 and get 1. You keep the same denominator, so the answer is 1/7. We don’t have to reduce. We even added and subtracted mixed numbers (but not in the same day though, that would be too much). Ok, I have 2 3/10 + 5 7/10. You add the whole numbers (2 and 5) and get 7. Then you add the numerators 3 + 7 which is 10 and put that over the denominator of 10, so you have 10/10 which is equal to 1. You add the 1 to the 7 and the answer is 8. Now, on to subtracting. If you have 5 4/10 – 4 3/10, you subtract the four from the five and get one for your whole number. Then you subtract 3 from the 4 and you get 1 again! You keep the same denominator (10), so the answer is 1 1/10.
This week in Social Studies, we finished the colonies, even the Southern Colonies which I couldn’t wait to get to. Maryland was started by Cecilius Calvert, or Lord Baltimore, in 1634. The reason he founded it was for the Catholics to be safe because he was a Catholic and Catholics were treated harshly because of their beliefs. The land there was very good for planting tobacco. Because of their hot, steamy summers, the tobacco grew very well. The way they got their water though was from an irrigation route from the CheasapeakeBay. They also grew corn, wheat, and fruit, which also got water from the irrigation route. The farmers there had cattle for meat and milk. The water the animals got was from a pump valve in the back. The bad thing about Maryland is the mosquitoes which carry deadly diseases like malaria. The other jobs they had were lumbering, shipping, fishing, and ranching.
We also learned about Georgia. Georgia was started for 2 reasons. The first was because the British governemnt wanted to stop the Spanish troops from moving north, and the second was because some wealthy British wanted to help the poor people avoid going to debtor’s prison. (A debtor is a person who owes money to somebody). In 1732, if you could not pay your bills, you went to jail. But sometimes instead of going to jail, they went to Georgia for a fresh start. The soil was fertile and the winters were mild. The summers were hot, humid, and long. The climate was good for growing indigo, rice, cotton, and tobacco. The jobs they had were lumbering, farming, and trading goods.
In South Carolina, the jobs were fur trading, shipping, farming, exporting, and slave trading. The summers are hot and humid, and the winters are mild. Also, did you know, in Bath, South Carolina, Edward Teach or Blackbeard lived?
This week was a blast from the past!
By Cassidy and Erik
February 13- 17, 2012
This week was lovely! Do you know why it was lovely? Because Tuesday was Valentine’s Day!
On Tuesday we had a Valentine’s Day party! It was really awesome because we got to spend it with the best teacher in the world, Mrs. Tomlin! During the party, we got to watch a really good movie, “The Smurfs”. Mrs. Tomlin went and got us a six foot sub from Subway. It was delicious! We also had chips, cookies, and carrots. Then we got to pass out our Valentines to everyone in our class. We also got to eat our Valentine’s candy during the movie.
In Language Arts we continued reading our mystery books. When we are done with our mystery books we are going to get a big white piece of paper and make nine puzzle pieces and then put a title for each box since a mystery is like a puzzle because of the clues, problem, characters, and all of the other stuff that puts it together. Then on Tuesday, because it was Valentine’s Day, we did Valentine’s stuff. We got a box of candy conversation hearts and wrote a Valentine’s story trying to use as many of the little sayings in it as possible, like Be Mine, I love you, Crazy 4 You, and Rock You. All of our stories turned out magnificent. Also, this week, we got a sheet and we read two stories and then compared and contrasted them on things like setting, genre, conflict, solution, and other things.
In Math, we reviewed everything to do with fractions. We found the GCF (Greatest Common Factor). To do this you must know your facts or it is very complicated. If you know your facts, it can be very easy. Example: Find the GCF of 8 and 12. Write out the factors of both. The factors of 8 are 1, 2, 4, and 8. The factors of 12 are 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 12. You see all the same numbers—1, 2, 4, right? But what is the highest? Four! So that is the GCF. Secondly, we did simplifying fraction. (Hint: You must know your multiplication and division facts!) Example: 9/24. Find the GCF again. It is 3. Now divide 9 and 24 by 3 and you get 3/8. Can you reduce again? NO, because 3 and 8 don’t have any common factors. So it is in lowest terms. To compare fractions you have to cross multiply which means you take the denominator and multiply by the numerator of the other fraction. But there is an exception, if the denominator is the same or if the numerator is the same. If the denominator is the same, look for the higher numerator. If the numerator is the same, look for the lowest denominator. Example: with the same numerator between 6/14 and 6/21, 6/14 is the greatest. And with the same denominator between 18/21 and 16/21, 12/21 is the greatest. Now we are turning fractions into decimals. To do this, you must divide the numerator by the denominator. If you can’t do it exactly the first time, then drop a zero down. Do this at least 4 times. If you get a number like .6666, then take the third number and round it.
This week in Social Studies we compared the different original colonies. The New England colonies are as follows: New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. The Middle Colonies are New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. The Southern Colonies are Maryland, Virginia, North and South Carolina, and Georgia. We learned about the government, geography, economy, and the reason for founding. The New England colonies we founded by Puritans and they left England because they wanted the English or Anglican churches to change. New York and Pennsylvania were different. In New York, the King chose the leader or governor. In Pennsylvania, they didn’t have one religion and the King only choose who governed, but not the laws like New York. We have yet to learn about the Southern Colonies.
This week was a journey back to the past!
By Erik, Sophia and Madisyn
February 6-10, 2012
Ask your child why there isn't a Weekly Wiki this week.
January 30-February 3, 2012
This week went by hastily!
In Math, we worked with turning improper fractions into mixed numbers. Like turning 16/8 to 2, but that's a whole number, not a mixed number. Here is an example of making a mixed number. Take 20/6. Divide 20 by 8. Six goes into 20 three times. Three becomes your whole number. Then there is a remainder of 2. That becomes the numerator. You keep the same denominator. So the mixed number is 3 2/6. Then we did equivalent fractions, like 1/2 = 2/4. Also, we put fractions on a number line.
In Science this week we continued on our Force and Motion projects. It is super duper fun!
In Social Studeis we talked about the lost colony at Roanoke Island. All they left behind was the word "croatoan". It was carved into the gate post of Roanoke. We had to write a newspaper article about it the next day. It was so easy. We also read about Jamestown. It's the story of Pocohantas and John Smith and his crew.
This week in Language Arts we read a Nate the Great book together and learned how to solve the mystery. Then we started reading mystery books of our own and answering questions we have on a sheet. We also went on this really cool website and created an avatar of a mystery suspect. We wrote a description of them and turned it into a Wanted poster. We also recorded our mystery readers theater.
This week was majestic.
By Sophia, Kylie, and Bailey
Our Mystery Readers Theater